in the wholesale manner propsed in his letter. I had agreed only at your soliciatation to exchange Beriah Pratt for your son, Arthur Dawson. I still profess my willingness to make this exchange if it should be acceptable to the U. S . authorities, but beyond this I can enter into no exchange with Olonel Geary.

Resepctfully, your obedient servant,

J. P. BENJAMIN,

Secretary of War.

HEADUQARTERS DEPARTMENT OF NORFOLK,

Norfolk, Va., january 18, 1862.

Honorable J. P. BENJAMIN, S ecretary of War.

SIR: I send incolsed a copy of a letter* from Major General J. E. Wool, dated January 17, received last evening by flag of truce, bringing the released prisoners named. I also inclose copy* of my answer to him of this date which I hope meets your approval. The other exchanges proposed by General Wool I hereby refer to you. I must repeat my request to be relieved from the immediate duty of attending to this business of exchanges. It must be reduced to some sustem. There will be much confusion. I cannot devote my time to it.

Veryrespectfully, yoiur obedient servant,

BENJ. HUGER,

Major-General, Commanding.

SPECIAL ORDERS,
ADJT. AND INSP. GENERAL'S OFFICE, Numbers 15.
Richmond, January 18, 1862.

* * * *

XIV. The 250 C. S. troops (10 officers, 240 privates and non-commissioned officers) who were captured by the U. S . troops at Hatteras, N. C., subsequently released from Fort Warren, Boston Harbor, and released on parole by General Wool, U. S . Army, are hereby released from said parole an willimmedtiately report for duty with their respective companies, General Wool haveing acknowledged in exchange the receipt of a like number of U. S . prisoners sent to Fortress Monroe, Va., by the COnfederate States Government.

By command of the Secretary of War:

JNO WITHERS,
Assistant Adjutant-General.

HEADQUARTERS DEAPRTMENT OF NORFOLK,

January 20, 1862.

Hon. J. P. BENJAMIN, Secretary of War.

SIR: I send inclosed copies of letters+ received from Major-General Wool dated 18th and 19th instant. The prisoners released by him and named in these letters have all arrived. I beg to call particular attention to the last paragraph in his letter of the 18th instant. The proposition is a complete giving away of the principle heretofore asserted by them. It appears to me they should go a step further and make it general.

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*Omitted here; Wool to Huger, Janaury 17, p. 195, and Huger's answer, January 18, p. 197.

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+Omitted here; Wool to Huger, Janaury 18, p. 196, and January 19, p. 198.